PORTLAND — Makinzey Harrington walked out of Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday night after the fifth-place medal match with disappointment written across her face. The Philomath freshman had lost to Molalla’s Alvina Ruiz — someone she had pinned a week earlier at the district tournament.
Despite the loss and sixth-place finish at 135 pounds, Harrington had just become the first female wrestler in Philomath High’s history to earn a state medal.
Gallery: PHS wrestling at state championships (Feb. 27, 2026)
A collection of photos from Philomath’s appearance at the 4A boys championships and 4A/3A/2A/1A girls championships on Friday.
Philomath’s Barrett caps wrestling career with third straight state title
PORTLAND — Riley Barrett became the first three-time state wrestling champion in Philomath High’s history on Friday, but the path to that milestone was anything but smooth. The senior captured his third consecutive title at the Class 4A championships at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, surviving a tense 150-pound semifinal before closing out the tournament in the…
Warriors send seniors out in style at state wrestling
PORTLAND — Trailing 7-0 after the first period Friday in the third-place match at the Class 4A tournament, the situation looked pretty challenging for Philomath High wrestler Derick Kohn. Participating at state for the first time in his high school career, the Warriors senior wanted to go out with a victory in front of the…
“To be a state placer, the first ever, that’s phenomenal and sets everything up for next year with all of the girls we’ll have and everyone coming back and the ones coming in,” PHS coach Troy Woosley said. “It’ll be great for the room for sure.”
Harrington opened the tournament Thursday with back-to-back victories — a pin in 4:30 over Heppner’s Sarah Estes followed by an 8-4 decision over Phoenix’s Haydee Everett. In the semifinals on Friday, she lost on a first-period pin to Oakridge’s Kali Williams and then dropped her next two matches to Cottage Grove’s Boston Kent and Molalla’s Ruiz — two opponents she had beaten earlier this season. In fact, she had pinned Ruiz a week earlier in the district tournament.
“She had a great tournament,” Woosley said. “I think her injuries and everything else caught up with her but she won a couple of great matches the first day to set her up to be a placer. But I know she’s disappointed (to not have placed higher).”
Harrington said the mental aspect of competing at state was the toughest challenge, especially after trying to bounce back after losing in the semifinals.
Sanctioned girls wrestling in Oregon dates back to 2019. The first to qualify for Philomath occurred in 2020 when Reynece Ryan made it to Portland.
Two female wrestlers qualified for state in past years for the Warriors — sophomore Reynece Ryan in 2020 and senior Ellie Morton in 2024. Ryan and Morton each won matches in Portland but the tournament only medaled the top four.
For Harrington, she peaked at the right time.
“My season started off kind of rocky but it got better — just ups and downs,” Harrington said after participating in the Parade of Champions, a traditional presentation on the arena floor that recognizes all of the wrestlers who medaled. “Before regionals, I started to lock in and started winning a lot more.”
Harrington’s passion for wrestling didn’t develop overnight. She brought extensive youth wrestling experience to the team, including participation in multiple USA tournaments — though none of it might have happened if not for a nudge from a family member.
“The only reason I did it was because my cousin suggested it and it was a lot of fun,” said Harrington, whose cousin wrestled at Crescent Valley. “So, I would suggest that if someone says, ‘hey, you should go out for wrestling,’ yeah, do it.”
Harrington has put in a lot of time on the mat.
“She wrestles quite a bit, probably four or five years already,” Woosley said. “I think the combination of everything just kind of got to her in the end there but I think she is better than sixth.”
Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls Wrestling Championships
Thursday-Friday, Feb. 26-27, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland
Team scoring — 1, La Grande 132; 2, Harrisburg 122; 3, Oakridge 120.5; 4, Banks 88; 5, Sweet Home 84; 6, St. Helens 79; 7, Burns 77.5; 8, Mazama 59; 9, Nyssa 54; 10, Tillamook 52; 11, Rainier 40; 12, Vale 37; 13, North Valley 31; 14, Sisters 30; 15, Coquille 28; 16, Sutherlin 26; 17, Brookings-Harbor 25.5; 18, Siuslaw 25; 19, Pendleton 24; 19, Yamhill-Carlton 24; 21, Baker 23; 21, Dayton 23; 23, Estacada 22; 23, Willamina 22; 25, Scappoose 21; 26, Lakeview 20.5; 27, Pleasant Hill 20; 28, Riverside (Boardman) 19.5; 29, Cascade 18; 30, Cottage Grove 17; 30, Hidden Valley 17; 32, Madras 16.5; 33, Colton 16; 33, Newport 16; 35, Toledo 14; 36, Crane 13; 36, Culver 13; 36, Lowell 13; 36, Molalla 13; 41, Elmira 12; 42, Central Linn 11; 42, Elgin 11; 42, Illinois Valley 11; 42, Jefferson 11; 46, Douglas 10; 46, Rogue River 10; 46, Siletz Valley 10; 49, Philomath 9; 50, Echo-Stanfield 8; 51, Riverside (WLWV) 7; 51, Stayton 7; 53, Henley 4; 53, Marshfield 4; 53, Regis 4; 53, Taft 4; 57, North Marion 2.5.
PHS Results
135 — Makinzey Harrington (2-3, 6th): Pinned Sarah Estes, Heppner, 4:30; dec. over Haydee Everett, Phoenix, 8-4; pinned by Kali Williams, Oakridge, 0:44; pinned by Boston Kent, Cottage Grove, 4:24; pinned by Alvina Ruiz, Molalla, 3:23.